Whenever her attention waned, Catherine Ehlman, her patient pal through  organization, was there to find another way to make her smile, like having her pose for pictures with funny props.

Johnson even earned a grin-inducing award: most likely to wear pink.

For Johnson and her family, attending the RaiseRED Kids Prom was a hard-won treat.

She’s been at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, for the last seven months undergoing treatment for medulloblastoma, the most common cancerous brain tumor in children. After numerous rounds of radiation, chemo and two surgeries, she’s now cancer free.

“We’re new to RaiseRED, but appreciate the other families involved,” said her mom, Kiara Johnson. “When you’ve been through something like this, it’s super important to find people who get it.”

RaiseRED is UofL’s largest student-led philanthropy organization, raising more than $1.8 million in the last five years for the .

While many have heard of , a high-profile event which draws nearly 1,000 students, they may not realize that RaiseRED is busy throughout the year too, holding smaller fundraisers and supporting families of the clinic with events like Kids Prom and the patient pal program. 

Now in its third year, the patient pal program pairs two UofL students with a child at the clinic. Kind of like pen pals, they stay in touch through texts and emails, and get together for movies, UofL ball games and other fun activities. There are 23 such pairs.

Ehlman, a junior majoring in elementary and special education, said she got involved because she loves working with kids.

“I feel blessed to be part of it,” she said.

Sporting a necktie around his head, Jake Devine, a sophomore civil engineering student, coaxed his patient pal Logan Collins to the dance floor. He had the 8-year-old leukemia survivor goofing off in no time.

“He’s got stars in his eyes for these guys, they’re super heroes to him,” said Josh Collins, Logan’s dad.

Josh Collins said the family has been involved with RaiseRED since Logan was diagnosed at 3 years old.

“All the money goes directly to the clinic where he received most of his treatment,” Josh Collins said. “They cure cancer.”

The family also has two other sons, who are teenagers, and the students involved with RaiseRED are great role models for them, he added.  

“It inspires us,” he said. “Our teens see the efforts these guys put into this community service. It’s a life lesson for the whole family, really.”

David Turner, Jr., a 7-year-old with a cancerous tumor on his brain stem, took turns dancing with his mom and dad, all of them dressed to the nines.

“I’m very grateful for the program and the money it raises,” said his mom, Elizabeth Turner.

According to the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation, only 4 percent of federal cancer research funding goes to study pediatric cancer. She said that lack of federal funding makes RaiseRED dollars all the more important.

She said the family uses services that RaiseRED funds all the time, and they particularly appreciate the help of Spencer S. Moorman, the clinic’s social worker. RaiseRED funds her position.

“We couldn’t get the help we need without her,” she said.

The Turners, like most of the families, are hopeful to attend the Dance Marathon this year, slated for 6 p.m. Feb. 22-12 p.m. Feb. 23. Throughout the night, there are a variety of high-energy games, activities and team competitions.

The best part, they say, is that the kids are the stars of the show.

With a quick smile, Ashtyn Johnson said she’ll be there and she already had her pink outfit picked out. 

Combining the efforts of Norton Cancer Institute and Norton Children’s Hospital, in affiliation with University of Louisville, Norton Children’s Cancer Institute will provide improved access and additional services to care for children fighting cancer. This includes new programs for treating rare tumors and benign blood disorders, such as sickle cell anemia, as well as a revamped program for bone marrow transplants.

In addition to offering new types of care, Norton Children’s Cancer Institute has three primary goals:

• Increase the number of clinical trials offered to patients and gain access to new therapies in their earliest stages
• Develop additional groundbreaking research and cutting-edge technology
• Recruit additional hematology/oncology specialists and medical students to improve patients’ access to care.

“We expect Norton Children’s Cancer Institute to be the beacon of hope for families not just in Metro Louisville, but throughout the entire commonwealth,” said Thomas D. Kmetz, division president, Women’s and Children’s Services and Norton Children’s Hospital. “This collaboration will create an even more unified focus on delivering unparalleled cancer care to children fighting this terrible disease.”

“This is our chance for Louisville to become nationally recognized in the world of pediatric cancer research and gain access to the most cutting-edge clinical trials,” said Joseph M. Flynn, DO, MPH, FACP, executive director and physician-in-chief, Norton Cancer Institute. “We see this affiliation as an opportunity to combine our resources and expertise to give kids the best treatment there is.”

The University of Louisville will provide physician support for Norton Children’s Cancer Institute. Norton Healthcare will commit $1 million to UofL per year for pediatric oncology research and physician recruitment, as well as offer leadership and support staff for the institute.

“The relationship between Norton Children’s Hospital and the University of Louisville leading to the creation of Norton Children’s Cancer Institute is to forge a productive collaboration in the battle against childhood cancer,” said Toni Ganzel, MD, MBA, executive dean for the UofL Health Sciences Center. “The within the UofL School of Medicine has been part of one of medicine’s greatest successes in the sharp rise in survival rates of children with cancer.

“With more survivors, there is an urgent need to understand the effect of treatments on the entire body, not just the cancer. With a multidisciplinary approach and comprehensive treatment and support services, Norton Children’s Cancer Institute will have at its core a sense of urgency not only in bringing newer therapies to accelerate childhood cancer survival rates but also to intently focus on the survivors and alert them to potential risks, including serious and sometimes life-threatening complications, as late effects of cancer treatments.”

Within Norton Children’s Cancer Institute, inpatients will continue to be treated at the Addison Jo Blair Cancer Care Center in Norton Children’s Hospital. For outpatients, the institute will occupy the fourth floor of the University of Louisville’s new 170,000-square-foot pediatric medical office building at 401 E. Chestnut St. The facility is still under construction and is expected to be completed in July 2018.

With more than 8,000 pediatric cancer visits each year, Norton Children’s Hospital is home to the country’s oldest children’s oncology program, continually accredited by the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer (CoC) since 1959. As the teaching facility for the University of Louisville School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics, Norton Children’s Hospital is dedicated to its mission of serving the children of this community and region.

Learn more about the Norton Children’s Cancer Institute .